Vako

How he joined the club: Signed as a Designated Player on June 22, 2017.

2017 (San Jose Earthquakes): Appeared in 13 games making eight starts … Scored five goals and tallied one assist …Scored in his MLS debut against the New York Red Bulls on July 19 … Scored in his first start at Avaya Stadium on Aug. 19 against the Philadelphia Union ... Scored most road goals for the Quakes in 2017 with three … U.S. Open Cup: Started Semifinal match against Sporting Kansas City, ending in a 5-4 penalty shootout loss on Aug. 9 … MLS Cup Playoffs: Played and started 90 minutes in a loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Oct. 25 in the Knockout Round.

Professional Experience: Spent six years with SBV Vitesse of the Dutch Eredivisie from 2011-2017 … Tallied 25 goals and 10 assists in 104 league games for the Dutch side, adding another three goals and three assists in other top-flight competition … Made eight appearances in international cup competitions, including Europa League qualifiers, Europa League and UEFA Champions League … Spent the majority of the 2016-17 season on loan from Vitesse with Poland’s Legia Warsaw, helping them win the league championship with a 21-6-10 overall record.

Began his career in his native Georgia with FC Saburtalo in 2010, spending time on loan with Metalurgi Rustavi and Sioni Bulnisi.

International: Has extensive experience playing with the Georgia National Team … Has made 29 appearances, scored six goals and tallied one assist for the senior team as of December 2017 … Was called up to the Georgia national team for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, playing in all six games scoring two goals (one against Moldova (2-2 D) on June 11 and another against Ireland (1-1 D) on Aug. 2) ... Played in four of Georgia’s six international friendlies in 2017 against Latvia, St. Kitts/Nevis, Cyprus and Belarus.